NSF Global Centers Track 2: Energy Sovereignty for Indigenous Peoples (ESIP)

University Of North Dakota Main Campus, Grand Forks ND

Investigators

Abstract

This Global Centers Track 2 Design grant supports solutions-based research and planning to develop renewable energy and microgrid technologies, along with associated economic and sustainability data for use by Indigenous communities to support energy sovereignty. Indigenous communities often consist of rural, remote, spread-out populations with distributed, smaller-scale power, heat, and fuel energy systems, which are less reliable and less resilient to anticipated shifts in weather patterns and severity due to climate change. To assist in addressing this issue, the University of North Dakota in collaboration with North Dakota State University, Kansas State University, the University of Leeds (UK), and the University of Manitoba (Canada) will work with the local indigenous communities with whom team members have connections and will build new connections as the project matures. The goal is to develop the plans needed for an Energy Sovereignty for Indigenous Peoples (ESIP) global center. ESIP plans a suite of research tasks in four key technology areas to provide sustainable, reliable, and efficient engineering infrastructures and solutions for Indigenous energy sovereignty around the globe. ESIP will work directly with Indigenous community members and practicing Indigenous scientists and engineers to shape the ESIP research agenda. The award will focus on three main components: 1) listening sessions from Indigenous members, 2) feedback and regular meetings with an external advisory board, and 3) refinement and alignment of the center’s research goals and tasks to reflect the needs of our current and future Indigenous community partners. The project also plans opportunities to engage Indigenous students in STEM research and professional development. ESIP will plan a suite of long-term transformational and short-term solutions-based research tasks to develop renewable energy and microgrid technologies, along with associated economic and sustainability data for use by Indigenous communities to support their energy sovereignty. ESIP research focus areas are: 1) small-scale power, heat and fuel generation, 2) combined autonomous/integrated power distribution systems and supply resiliency, and 3) social, policy, and socio-economic aspects of energy sovereignty. ESIP will provide support services for each research task, including techno-economic, sustainability, and chemical analyses. It is envisioned that ESIP transformative track 1 research will focus on thermal energy systems, microgrid advancements, process intensification for small-scale waste-to-energy processes, and advanced knowledge in assessing economic and environmental benefits to Indigenous communities. Track 1 solution-based research will be planned to expand the capabilities of rural remote smart grid technologies coupled with advancements in photovoltaic heat pump applications. Research tasks will be planned with feedback from surveys, focus group interviews, and consensus from Indigenous community members within the ESIP Global Center. This award is funded by the Global Centers program, an innovative program that supports use-inspired research addressing global challenges related to climate change and/or clean energy. Track 2 design awards support U.S.-based researchers to bring together international teams to develop research questions and partnerships, conduct landscape analyses, synthesize data, and/or build multi-stakeholder networks to advance their use-inspired research at larger scale in the future.   This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.